KOCHI: The Ernakulam rural police booked 60 cases, during a massive raid that began on Saturday morning and extended into the early hours of Sunday under the ‘operation clean Perumbavoor’.
As part of the inspection, the Perumbavoor town was thoroughly searched, and a West Bengal native was apprehended with approximately 2 kg of cannabis.
The suspect who operated the cannabis trade under the guise of vegetable farming, sold the cannabis at Rs 500 per packet to both Malayali youths and migrant workers, said a police source.
In another operation by the special investigation team, another migrant worker, Ojir Hussain from the Bengal Colony in Perumbavoor, was held with 1.5 kilograms of cannabis. He had been residing in a rented room in the area and selling cannabis to migrant workers and locals.
Additionally, Shahanu Sheikh, another migrant labourer operating under the cover of a hotel in the Bengal Colony, was arrested with 7 litres of foreign liquor. Police also confiscated liquor bottles, glasses, and cash from him. Six women were also arrested on PP Road in Perumbavoor for causing public nuisance and obstructing pathways.
Moreover, police arrested 13 individuals possessing cannabis near Perumbavoor town and the private bus stand, 15 individuals for consuming alcohol in public, and 10 individuals for selling banned tobacco products.